Articles

Study in JAMA Network Open Examines Association Between the Percentage of US Drug Sales Subject to Inflation Penalties and the Extent of Drug Price Increases

Posted September 11, 2020

September 11, 2020 Sean Dickson, JD, MPH1 JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2016388. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.16388 Policy makers have proposed levying penalties for drug price increases that are higher than the rate of inflation for drugs covered in the US Medicare program, but research is lacking regarding the ways in which manufacturers might respond to those penalties…. Read more »

New Op-Ed in The Hill on Ageism from Shelley Lyford, President and CEO of West Health

Posted August 3, 2020

Ageism and cost-cutting in the age of coronavirus By Shelley Lyford, Opinion Contributor – 08/03/20 (First published by The Hill) COVID-19 has delivered a one-two punch to state budgets — and we’re still in the early rounds of the fight to contain this deadly pandemic. Steeply declining tax revenues combined with sharply rising expenses have… Read more »

A Path Forward…
A Note from our President and CEO, Shelley Lyford

Posted July 10, 2020

June 10, 2020 Life as we know it has forever changed as our nation continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism and injustice, political division, economic hardship and human suffering. While the wounds run deep and the list is long, we are seeing signs of hope that over time we will emerge from… Read more »

The Impacts of the West Health-UCSD Geriatrics Quality Improvement Science Fellowship

Posted July 1, 2020

While geriatric medicine strives to focus on the support needed to accommodate aging patients, it can falter when the resources to improve quality of care are not provided to healthcare professionals. The mission of the West Health-UCSD Geriatrics Quality Improvement Science Fellowship is to educate and create innovative leaders in the field of geriatric… Read more »

New Op-Ed in Morning Consult on Telehealth from Shelley Lyford, President and CEO of West Health

Posted June 25, 2020

Congress Should Act Swiftly to Make Telehealth Expansion Permanent June 25, 2020 By Shelley Lyford It took a public health emergency to temporarily lift the regulatory barriers that have stifled the growth of telehealth in this country. Now, Congress must act and take the next step, which is to legislate telehealth into the mainstream of… Read more »

Pricing Remdesivir: A Domestic Reference Price Approach

Posted June 23, 2020

June 23, 2020 by Sean Dickson and Timothy A. Lash As COVID-19 continues to ravage US communities, the costs in terms of lives and lost wages are severe, particularly among seniors and minority communities. Treating COVID-19 shouldn’t disproportionately add to these costs, but the history of drug pricing in the United States provides reason for concern. The… Read more »

Black Lives Matter:
A Message from Our President and CEO Shelley Lyford

Posted June 8, 2020

June 8, 2020 Black Lives Matter. We are grieved and outraged by the brutal deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others who have been hurt or killed by racist violence. The peaceful protests we are witnessing around the nation and in our own communities are righteous and needed to help bring about an… Read more »

Federal Government Awards $354M to Civica Rx and Partners to Expand Generic Drug Manufacturing and Create Nation’s First Stockpile of Key Drug Ingredients

Posted May 19, 2020

May 19, 2020 This week the West Health family of organizations hit another major milestone! I’m very excited to announce that Civica Rx, the nonprofit generic drug manufacturer created in 2018 by seven leading health systems and three national foundations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation, is now part of a new and historic… Read more »

Launching an Emergency Department Telehealth Program During COVID-19: Real-World Implementations for Older Adults

Posted May 13, 2020

May 13, 2020 Abstract BACKGROUND COVID-19 has led to a dramatic increase in the use of telehealth services, particularly with older adults, who are at highest risk of potential infection and mortality. As a result, Emergency Departments (EDs) around the country are now leveraging telehealth as a key tool in a variety of settings for… Read more »

7 Key Steps in Developing New Options for Responding to Unplanned Acute Care

Posted April 16, 2020

April 16, 2020 Sadie, a 76-year-old who lives alone and suffers from chronic renal stones suddenly developed acute flank pain resulting in four medical visits in one week. First to her primary care provider (PCP), second to the emergency department (ED), and a third visit to Urgent Care. Each time she was sent home and instructed… Read more »